


Where the Road Takes You

by elyssblair



Category: Veritas: The Quest
Genre: M/M, Post-Canon, Yuletide Treat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-23
Updated: 2014-12-23
Packaged: 2018-03-03 01:16:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,304
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2832878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elyssblair/pseuds/elyssblair
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One truth leads to another and all the secrets come out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Where the Road Takes You

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Franzeska](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Franzeska/gifts).



Solomon stared at the security monitor, rewinding and replaying the same ten seconds while he tried to make some kind of sense of the scene.

One second, the soda can sat on the table. The next, it flew into Nikko’s hand.

“What is this?” he asked, not bothering to look over his shoulder where Vincent stood. “A joke? Special effects? Is someone hacking our security? Testing us?”

“No. The footage is authentic. I had Maggie check it twice before I brought it to you.”

“Then what is it? What does it mean?”

Vincent exhaled deeply and walked around the desk, taking the seat across from Solomon. His posture lacked its usual zen-like awareness, hovering somewhere between total relaxation and primed to strike at a moment's noticed. Instead, an uncommon tension strung him tight and he kept his eyes on the clenched hands in his lap rather than meeting Solomon’s gaze.

“It means Nikko is special.”

Solomon blinked, surprised by the simple statement. From the tense buildup, he’d been expecting something much more dire to come out of Vincent’s mouth.

“Of course Nikko’s special,” he said with a chuckle. “He’s Hayley’s son.”

Vincent didn’t laugh, and his solemn expression sobered Solomon. He’d never seen Vincent look uncertain in all the years they’d known each other. But the deep curve of his lips and the way his jaw tightened couldn’t be described in any other way.

“Vincent?”

“Nikko was touched by the same light that killed Hayley.”

“What are you talking about? Mikhail was getting Nikko out of the tomb when whatever killed Hayley happened.”

“Nikko tried to run back toward his mother. Mikhail was blinded by the light but out of its way. Nikko was enveloped in it but survived. I don’t know if it was because he was farther from the source or if there was another reason.”

Solomon got cold and his muscles bunched while he listened to Vincent. When their eyes finally met, he could see the hint of guilt hiding there.

“How would you know what happened at the site?” Solomon asked, fighting hard to keep his voice level and quiet. It didn’t sound like Vincent was reciting facts he'd heard from someone else. It sounded like he had firsthand knowledge.

“Because I was there,” Vincent answered, then paused. That hesitation made Solomon’s stomach clench. Whatever came next, he knew he wasn’t going to like it. Knew it would change everything.

“I was there to kidnap Nikko for Dorna.”

“What? Why? He was just a kid, then. Why would Dorna want him?”

“Hayley had a knack for finding the Truth. There is a partial prophecy that suggests anyone of her bloodline would have the same knack. Medici knew Hayley would never help Dorna, but he had the bright idea that Nikko was young enough to be brainwashed into believing in their rhetoric."

“You son-of-a-bitch,” Solomon roared and pushed to his feet, looming over Vincent. Heat suffused Solomon’s skin and fury boiled in his chest. “You were going to steal my son and hand him over to that maniac?”

“Yes,” Vincent answered. A matter-of-fact tone with no prevarication or excuses.

He didn’t flinch when Solomon growled and leaned forward over the desk to bare his teeth. Only someone who’d known him as long as Solomon had would see the sorrowful twist of Vincent's frown in the nearly blank expression, though. Forcing a few heavy breaths through his nose, Solomon fought for calm as best he could.

Reminded himself it was in the past. And there was another question that needed to be answered.

“So why didn’t you?”

Because if there was one thing Solomon knew about Vincent, it was that he always accomplished what he set out to do. One way, or another.

Vincent's mouth pinched but he leaned back in his chair, body relaxing slightly, now that Solomon’s anger had been back-burnered.

“He’d just lost his mother. He was grieving. Hurting. Confused. I saw myself in him. The way I felt when my parents sent me away to the monastery. The way I felt when I believed Gyatso sacrificed himself. I knew it was only a matter of time until the anger set in. I knew it would be easy for Dorna to manipulate those emotions in Nikko.”

Vincent rarely talked about his life before joining Veritas. But Solomon was beginning to understand all the things he’d never said.

“The same way they manipulated yours?”

Vincent’s lips curled in a slow half-smile, eyes crinkling when he glanced up at Solomon. The only answer he was going to get. But he knew Vincent well-enough that it explained a great many things, anyway.

“It was the first time I questioned what I was doing, but I knew the kid deserved better than what Medici intended. I walked away and lied. Told them they kept too close an eye on Nikko after the accident.”

“And then what? You went home and meditated on it? Decided to do your penance for past misdeeds by working with me?”

He said it as a joke, but Solomon had always suspected Vincent was working toward some kind of redemption by protecting him, his team and his son.

“In a manner of speaking.”

The wariness had returned to his tone and the tightness to his posture that made Solomon decide, whatever was coming next, he’d rather hear it sitting down. Dropping into his chair, Solomon rubbed the back of his neck and asked, “How much worse is this going to get?”

The tight, apologetic smile suggested they hadn’t even scratched the surface.

“A high ranking member of Dorna came to me shortly after. He said he’d seen the change in me. Confided that, though his family had been part of it for generations, they’d been working from within Dorna to stop them.”

“And you believed him?”

Vincent lifted one shoulder in a nonchalant shrug. “He had convincing proof.”

“So what did he want from you?”

“He wanted me to protect you. And Nikko.” Vincent sighed, leaned forward, his face a blank mask. “And to report back to him anything you didn’t report yourself.”

“Report mys—”

Then it all clicked together.

“De Molay. De Molay is Dorna. And you knew. You let me give Dorna everything. And you gave him what I didn’t.”

The desk between them was the only thing holding him back and he gripped the edge hard, digging in to keep himself from doing something stupid. Like taking a swing at the man he’d believed was his best friend.

“De Molay hasn’t shared anything with Dorna. He has his own agenda.”

“And what is his agenda?”

“I’m not sure, exactly, but…”

“But, what?”

“That partial prophecy I mentioned. He has the rest of it. It suggests only someone from that special bloodline can actually put the ring back together.”

“Like Nikko did with the pieces we have. Nikko.” He swallowed hard, remembering what had started this disquieting conversation. Nikko and the soda can.

“He wants Nikko. You didn’t hand him over to Medici. But de Molay was better? You felt good about handing him over to someone who lies to both sides?”

“I would never hand Nikko over to anyone,” Vincent snarled, slamming his hands on the desk and standing up in one, smooth motion. “Never.”

Solomon wanted to believe him. Everything in him screamed at him to trust Vincent. He hadn’t doubted him in years. Not even when it looked like he’d gone back to Dorna.

But he needed answers. He couldn’t let sentiments cloud his judgment. Nikko’s life might hang in the balance. Solomon stood up, bracing himself and leaning in until they were nearly nose to nose, a thousand unspoken emotions vibrating between them.

“You won’t hand him over. But you spied on him. On me—on us.”

It wasn’t personal. He couldn’t make it personal. Not now.

Vincent closed his eyes, jaw tightening before he answered, “I did what I had to do to keep you both safe.”

“Explain how lying and keeping secrets keeps us safe.”

“De Molay knows Nikko’s important. And he believes the best chance of finding out how and why is leaving him free to follow his instincts. But de Molay also knows there’s a possibility Nikko could be a threat. If Dorna got their hands on him. Or if he decided to use whatever power he develops for his own gain.”

Vincent finally opened his eyes, looking heartbroken and resolved.

“I made the deal at first, as a way to get out of Dorna alive. I kept it, to make sure de Molay never felt like he had to take Nikko from us.”

From us. He knew Vincent consider Nikko a son in all ways but blood. Despite everything he’d heard, nothing had shaken that bone deep belief in Solomon. Vincent was someone he could trust not only with his life, but with Nikko's.

Solomon leaned the last inch forward, letting his forehead rest against Vincent's.

“Why didn’t you at least tell me? De Molay didn’t have to know I knew.”

“You would have wanted me to lie to him. If you asked me to, I would have. For you. Eventually, though, he would have seen through the lies. I’m sorry.”

Vincent’s breath brushed over Solomon’s lips as he spoke. They were closer than they’d ever been. Than Solomon had ever let himself get. Not that he hadn’t imagined it. Heat and unspoken energy hummed between them. An awareness that had been there from the beginning but neither of them had ever acknowledged with more than a soft smile or a careful brush of shoulders.

Now wasn’t the time to dwell on it, either.

Solomon straightened up, running a hand through his hair to give himself an excuse to look away from the intensity of Vincent’s stare.

“And if something came up that would make him want to take Nikko…” Solomon swallowed hard at the thought, eyes glancing at the paused screen. Soda hovering in mid-air inches from Nikko’s hand. “If something came up, would you have told de Molay? What would you do then?”

Vincent walked around the desk, crowding into Solomon’s space.

“I would have taken you and Nikko and run.” Vincent’s hand came up, resting on Solomon’s neck. Gentle and reassuring and certain. “Kept you safe and hidden until I dealt with every possible threat.”

The tight knot in Solomon’s chest let go all at once and his knees wobbled a little. No matter what, he trusted Vincent. Nothing either of them did could ever change that. He pressed his face against Vincent’s hand, grazing the skin with his lips.

“You already have contingency plans and safe houses set up, don’t you?” Solomon asked.

A slight shrug and smug twist of lips were his only answer.

“How many?”

“Enough.”

Solomon exhaled and asked the question he really needed an answer to.

“Do you really have a plan to take down de Molay and Dorna?”

The smile left Vincent’s face, shifting his expression back to all-business.

“It’s risky. A last resort. I can’t guarantee anything.”

The flat, emotionless tone underlined all the things Vincent wasn’t saying.

“And do you survive this plan?” Solomon asked softly.

The shrug was as much of answer as he'd expected to get. He’d always known Vincent was willing to sacrifice himself for them. He thought it was some kind of personal penance. But something deeper, something intimate and tantalizing, edged around his eyes.

“Why?” Solomon demanded.

“You know why,” Vincent answered, voice low and hoarse. But his eyes. They were clear and open, his usual distant mask gone. Warmth and hope and fear and need naked and plain for Solomon to see. Everything laid bare and nothing held back.

It felt like he was looking in a mirror, Solomon's own long-buried yearnings reflected back at him. He did know. But he needed to hear it all the same.

“Tell me.”

The smirk spread over Vincent’s face and he leaned closer. “I love you, Solomon Zond. Even if you don’t make it easy.”

Before Solomon could unscramble his brain, Vincent shifted back, putting a few inches of unwanted space between them. The somber expression sliding back into place.

“I know Hayley was the love of your life. Your friendship is enough. Always has been.”

Solomon had no idea how to answer that. Hayley _was_ the love of his life. But Vincent had been more than a friend for a long, long time. Words stuck in his throat, tangled on his tongue. He’d always been more of a man of action anyway. So he stepped forward, hand’s braced on Vincent’s shoulders. Then he pushed up, mouth finding Vincent’s, demanding and insistent until Vincent kissed him back.

When he was sure Vincent got the point, Solomon eased back.

“I will always love Hayley. And I’ll never stop missing her. But she’s gone. And I’ve loved you for years without it interfering with my feelings for her. You and I are completely different.”

Vincent’s mouth quirked up. “You could say that.”

Solomon rolled his eyes. “But no more lying to me. No more secrets. No suicide missions.”

Vincent pressed his lips to Solomon’s jaw, trailing nipping kisses up to his ear and whispered, “I will do whatever I need to, to keep you and Nikko and the team safe.”

Solomon considered protesting that he wasn’t some damsel in distress. He wanted to demand a promise from Vincent, but before he could, Vincent was reading his mind, again.

“Would you do anything different to protect Nikko?”

Which was a fair question, but Vincent was forgetting something in his assessment. “And you, too, you pain in the ass. If lying to you would save you, I’d lie my ass off.”

Their life was going to be complicated and dangerous but it wasn’t ever going to be boring.


End file.
